Harpalus facts for kids

Harpalus was a Macedonian aristocrat and a childhood friend of Alexander the Great. He lived in the 300s BC. Alexander trusted Harpalus with important jobs, like managing money for his empire. But Harpalus ran away with large sums of money three times! In 330 BC, Alexander made him the main treasurer in Babylon. Later, in 324 BC, Harpalus fled from Babylon to Athens with a lot of money. This caused a big political problem in Athens, known as "the Harpalus Affair." This event even helped lead to a war called the Lamian War.

Harpalus's Early Life and Role

Harpalus had a lame leg, so he didn't join Alexander's army in the Persian Empire. Instead, he was given a job in Asia Minor. Alexander once asked Harpalus to send him some books for his free time. Harpalus sent plays by famous writers like Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides. He also sent history books by Philistus and poems by Philoxenus and Telestes.

The Harpalus Affair in Athens

In 324 BC, Harpalus went to Athens looking for safety. Leaders like Demosthenes and Phocion had him put in prison. Another leader, Hypereides, wanted to start a fight against Alexander right away. But this idea was not popular.

The Athenian assembly decided to keep Harpalus's money safe. They gave this job to a group led by Demosthenes. Harpalus said he had 700 talents (a large sum of money). But when the group counted it, they only found 350 talents.

Accusations Against Demosthenes

Demosthenes was the first person accused of wrongdoing in this affair. He was tried by a very large jury of 1,500 people. He was found guilty and had to pay a fine of 50 talents. This was a huge amount of money. Demosthenes couldn't pay it, so he left Athens. He came back nine months later, after Alexander had died.

Some historians believe Demosthenes was innocent. They think the accusations against him were for political reasons. They also suggest he was not paid or influenced by Harpalus.

When Harpalus escaped and went to Crete, people in Athens were very upset. An important court, the Areopagus, looked into the matter. They found that Demosthenes was accused of misusing 20 talents.

At Demosthenes's trial, Hypereides, who was accusing him, said Demosthenes admitted taking the money. But Demosthenes claimed he used it for the people and borrowed it without interest. The accusers did not believe this. They said Demosthenes was bribed by Alexander. Demosthenes was fined 50 talents again and put in prison. But after a few days, he escaped. He traveled to places like Calauria, Aegina, and Troezen. It is still not clear if the accusations against him were true. Later, the Athenians changed their minds. They sent a ship to bring Demosthenes back to Athens.

Harpalus's Death

According to the writer Pausanias, Harpalus ran away from Athens to Crete. There, his own servants killed him in 323 BC. Some people say a Macedonian named Pausanias killed him instead.

Pausanias also tells a story about Harpalus's money manager. This manager fled to Rhodes. A Macedonian named Philoxenus caught him. Philoxenus had also asked the Athenians to hand over Harpalus. Philoxenus questioned the manager. He learned who had taken money from Harpalus and how much. He sent a list of these names to Athens. But he never mentioned Demosthenes, even though Alexander disliked Demosthenes.

Harpalus appears in the historical novel Fire From Heaven by Mary Renault. In the book, his teacher Aristotle gives him the job of watching and writing about wild animals. Renault suggests that some strange animal stories in Aristotle's writings might have been jokes or tricks by Harpalus.

See also

In Spanish: Hárpalo para niños